Qantas Retires The Boeing 767

AeroplaneFreak · Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:44 am

It will be a sad day at Qantas tomorrow, as they retire the Boeing 767 from passenger service after 29 years of operation.

The last service has the appropriate flight number of QF767 and will leave MEL for SYD at 17:00 local time on December 27th.

VH-OGL (B763) has the honour of operating the final service.

Qantas received their first Boeing 767 VH-EAJ (B762) on July 3rd 1985, and have been the workhorse of the MEL-SYD-BNE triangle for many years.

I will be on the final service tomorrow, any other anet members going?

Tod · Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:57 pm

Timed to go along with the newly reconfigured A332 and A333.

VH-EBV should return to service in a few days.
It was scheduled to happen before Christmas, but sometimes major mods go that way.

Boeing744 · Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:25 pm

Has it been confirmed by now that these 763s will head to WestJet? I recall rumours of that, but in the thread I read nobody could provide a link to prove it (this may well have been done since I read it).

boeing737max · Sat Dec 27, 2014 2:07 am

Quoting AeroplaneFreak (Thread starter):

Sad to see them go

. Going to for sure miss seeing them in the Qantas Livery.

777Jet · Sat Dec 27, 2014 2:12 am

Just 4 hours to go until the scheduled departure time...

The 767 sure has been a workhorse for QF for almost 30 years...

I will be keeping an eye out for the arrival into SYD - but the weather is very overcast at the moment. It would be nice if it could do a fly over of the airport or city...

OGL is about to operate SYD-MEL...

ben175 · Sat Dec 27, 2014 2:21 am

I was lucky enough to fly the 767 one last time on one of its final international routes - SYD-HNL-SYD - back in August. Flew on OGT and OGU, and both were in immaculate condition at that stage. Very sad to see these birds go.

777Jet · Sat Dec 27, 2014 2:28 am

VH-OGL operating SYD-MEL just departed SYD on 16R as QF435...

So it should spend a few hours sitting in MEL before the final pax sector...

[Edited 2014-12-26 18:31:22]

767Fan · Sat Dec 27, 2014 2:33 am

I will be on the flight am just heading to the airport now

Sad to see them go!!

A35J · Sat Dec 27, 2014 3:38 am

I just arrived in MEL on QF435 and am booked on the final flight back (can't wait!). The crew are hinting that we will give her a "proper send-off". Anyone have any idea what that entails?

VHOGU · Sat Dec 27, 2014 3:39 am

These are wonderful aircraft that have served QANTAS well. I will miss seeing them about for sure. I have some great memories of flying on the 338's and the 336's.

kaitak · Sat Dec 27, 2014 4:14 am

Another superb type which has served Qantas very well - and ended its career with zero losses/fatalities. No small achievement when you consider how many hours/pax flown over those three decades.

I was delighted to have had the pleasure of flying on a QF 767 back in 1993; 'OGG was my ride for my first arrival into my favourite airport, on the 30th May 1993, Qantas 78 ... seen from the jump seat, then on down to SIN and PER (same acft, a few days later).

It was an excellent aircraft, well suited to Qantas and allowed some significant network expansion, particularly in Asia.

It will be - and deserves to be - remembered fondly.

a36001 · Sat Dec 27, 2014 4:16 am

It's a sad day! Does anyone know which aircraft were leased and owned out right? It's nice to know some are destined for Westjet, I bet they are happy, they are getting some of the best maintained 767's in the world!

Why retire the fully owned fleet(?) of 767's and replace them with not so new technology (A330 & 737) as opposed to holding on to them a little longer and replace them with the latest and greatest, the 787 or A350 or 737MAX

Also

Is there a aircraft that can replace the 767 type for type other than a new 767?

Anyway, farewell 767, and thank you!

TruemanQLD · Sat Dec 27, 2014 7:25 am

Quoting a36001 (Reply 11):
Why retire the fully owned fleet(?) of 767's and replace them with not so new technology (A330 & 737) as opposed to holding on to them a little longer and replace them with the latest and greatest, the 787 or A350 or 737MAX

The 767's are looking rather dated. Went on -OLG 2 months ago and the interior was old and worn. Loved the flight, but for us non-aviation enthusiasts it wouldnt matter that it was a 767. Replaced by more frequent (theoretically) 737's and occasional A330's will serve QF well and reduce the a/c type count in the fleet.

TruemanQLD · Sat Dec 27, 2014 7:41 am

Looks like it has done a fly past of the CBD of Sydney, around the bridge and heading back to SYD now...

VapourTrails · Sat Dec 27, 2014 8:02 am

Awesome! The final flight QF767 has done a number of fly pasts over Sydney according to Flightradar24 track.

A fitting and memorable end to 767 service for Qantas.

MYT332 · Sat Dec 27, 2014 8:07 am

Squint and you can see VH-OGL doing a flypast of the Bridge.

Were they trying to draw something here?

Out of interest, when did QF retire their last RR powered B767?

TruemanQLD · Sat Dec 27, 2014 8:45 am

So VH-OGU has ended up in BNE... will it go through the pre-VCV service in BNE or will it ferry down to SYD soon? I figure SYD must be pretty full with 4 767's there waiting to be properly retired from QF service...

BAeRJ100 · Sat Dec 27, 2014 9:19 am

Quoting MYT332 (Reply 15):
Out of interest, when did QF retire their last RR powered B767?

Mid-December 2013, VH-ZXE.

JayJ · Sat Dec 27, 2014 9:32 am

Such a great aircraft, and it will truly be missed. I was extremely grateful to see the last service come and go today. An era has definately ended today.

However I will be extremely sad when the 747s finally finish up in another five to ten years - even sadder than today.

Personally I feel, Qantas just won't be the same without such a Boeing mix (and just the 737 as the sole Boeing element in years to come.).

I know not everyone will agree, but I do wish they could have replaced the 747-400s with 747-8s

I know I am dreaming but I do still hope to see the 777X or 777W with QF in their long term strategy.

zkojq · Sat Dec 27, 2014 12:00 pm

Quoting AeroplaneFreak (Thread starter):
I will be on the final service tomorrow, any other anet members going?

Quoting 767Fan (Reply 7):

I will be on the flight am just heading to the airport now

Quoting A35J (Reply 8):

I just arrived in MEL on QF435 and am booked on the final flight back (can't wait!).

You three are hereby obliged to write trip reports for us.

Hope you had a fantastic time.

Quoting JayJ (Reply 18):
However I will be extremely sad when the 747s finally finish up in another five to ten years - even sadder than today.

I will be on this one....as long as the final flight isn't a long like Air New Zealand did with their last 747 flight.

Quoting JayJ (Reply 18):
and just the 737 as the sole Boeing element in years to come

They have this too:

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Webster Cc

TruemanQLD · Sat Dec 27, 2014 12:40 pm

Quoting ZKOJQ (Reply 19):
They have this too:

And the 717

Though I guess that is QantasLink

777Jet · Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:25 pm

Quoting ZKOJQ (Reply 19):
Quoting AeroplaneFreak (Thread starter):
I will be on the final service tomorrow, any other anet members going?
Quoting 767Fan (Reply 7):

I will be on the flight am just heading to the airport now
Quoting A35J (Reply 8):

I just arrived in MEL on QF435 and am booked on the final flight back (can't wait!).

You three are hereby obliged to write trip reports for us. Hope you had a fantastic time.

I got to watch it make a few passes around Sydney Harbour and fly around the Mosman / Manly area a few times yesterday so I was pretty happy to get the chance to see it. The old bird put on a good show!

Kent350787 · Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:58 pm

I'm feeling officially ancient. I was on VH-OAJ (762) before it entered service. I last flew on OLG 3 or 4 years ago.

And now the whole type has gone.

Mind you, I also remember QF as "the 747 airline"

AeroplaneFreak · Sun Dec 28, 2014 6:36 am

Here are my photos from Qantas' last Boeing 767 flight, including the spectacular flyover of Sydney...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aviationphotos/sets/72157649555283197/

gbrazil · Sun Dec 28, 2014 10:37 am

They will be missed. Qantas can be proud to have operated them for nearly 30 years without a single safety occurrence.

American 767 · Sun Dec 28, 2014 4:02 pm

Quoting kent350787 (Reply 22):
Mind you, I also remember QF as "the 747 airline"

Indeed there was a time they were an all 747 airline from the time they retired their last 707 in the late 70s (not sure exactly when) until 1985 when, as pointed out, they received their first 767.

Didn't Ansett also have 767s?

SpaceshipDC10 · Sun Dec 28, 2014 4:14 pm

Quoting ZKOJQ (Reply 19):
They have this too:

A gorgeous one with its bold titles.

Quoting American 767 (Reply 25):
Didn't Ansett also have 767s?

Yes, several. At one point during their final year, some were grounded due to faulty maintenance. Five months later the airline was no more.

All Ansett Australia's 767-200s Grounded (by AJ Apr 12 2001 in Civil Aviation)

American 767 · Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:09 am

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 26):
Yes, several.

Yes I believe 5 of them. I recall that Ansett was the only airline to operate the 767 with a three-pilot crew. Back in the early 80s when the 767 was all new, Boeing offered the airplane initially with a FE position, only Ansett chose that option. But after that, all 767s built since then were designed for a two-pilot crew.

I know this should be in the Aviation Hobby forum, but I mention this anyway since I am talking about Ansett 767s: Doyusha, a Japanese model manufacturer, had a 767-200 at 1/100th scale with Ansett decals as an option. The other two options were American (the cheatlines to be painted by yourself !) and ANA.

Goodbye QF767. We all enjoyed seeing you gracing the skies for almost thirty years. We'll miss you.

Ben Soriano

sq256 · Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:12 am

Quoting American 767 (Reply 27):
Yes I believe 5 of them. I recall that Ansett was the only airline to operate the 767 with a three-pilot crew.

Their initial order was for 5 767-200s with a 3 man deck in the 80s. They eventually converted the initial order of 767s to a standard 2-man deck when they got 4x second-hand 762s from Britannia in the mid 90s. The 763s came later in the late 90s (the first being a CO ordered 763 that was not taken up). The other 763s were delivered after the 767 groundings following the maintenance debacle, unfortunately the later 3x 763s were only in service for a short time prior to AN's eventual financial collapse.

They were operating 14 767s (9x 762s, 1x 762ER and 4x 763ERs) prior to their eventual financial collapse.

[Edited 2014-12-28 17:17:28]

tullamarine · Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:13 am

Quoting American 767 (Reply 27):
Yes I believe 5 of them. I recall that Ansett was the only airline to operate the 767 with a three-pilot crew

In total AN actually had 11 767s,
- 8 762s 5 from its original order and 3 it acquired from Britannia
- 1 762ER it leased from Air NZ
- 2 763ERs 1 leased from AWAS fitted out to CO's standard but they cancelled before delivery (This plane BZF serviced a lot of AN's int'l routes alongside its 747s) and 1 leased from Air Canada.

In addition they had contracted to lease another 3 763ERs shortly before their demise to replace the oldest 762s. VH-BZI was actaully in Australia at the time and was subsequently leased to Qantas in an all-white livery to provide additional lift during the time immediately after AN closed down.

vhqpa · Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:44 am

Actually I believe the 3 man 767's were forced on Ansett by the pilots union. They also unsuccessfully tried the same thing with the DC-9 back in the late 60's

But back on topic I'll miss the QF 767. OGU took me on my last 767 trip back in September

EK413 · Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:27 am

Here's a nice video from youtube Sydneyspotters group with VH-OGL Sydney skyline, final landing & what I'll call a late cannon salute.

http://youtu.be/yR18aLlXROw

EK413

777Jet · Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:56 am

Quoting EK413 (Reply 31):

Nice video.

Thanks for sharing.

Quoting EK413 (Reply 31):
what I'll call a late cannon salute.

Late indeed...

It's not as if water restrictions are in place so no need to be stingy with the water

VapourTrails · Mon Dec 29, 2014 11:41 am

Another video link from YouTube, on board filming - Sydney Scenic Fly-by Last Ever Qantas 767 Landing - QF767

by YMML SpottingTeam

http://youtu.be/6SnunYABPRQ

747m8te · Mon Dec 29, 2014 11:50 am

I was on board the flight, it was the best flight ever, big shout out to Qantas for the wonderful festivities and the celebrations, it was a sad day...but what an amazing send off! We all got Qantas goodie bags which featured a QF767 farewell tshirt, Qantas link book and 767 sticker....plus that amazing fly over SYD! Happy days, I will remember the flight forever! Love the 767! Love Qantas

SpaceshipDC10 · Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:59 pm

Quoting sq256 (Reply 28):
They were operating 14 767s (9x 762s, 1x 762ER and 4x 763ERs) prior to their eventual financial collapse.

Two of the latter were in fact leased from AC following the grounding.

777Jet · Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:05 am

IMHO it would have been good to see QF do a proper farewell flight or flights like KLM did for the MD-11 or Iran Air did for the 747SP for enthusiasts that was not a scheduled flight. The QF 767 has been the workhorse of the fleet for over 29 years so it's not as if such would be considered over the top. I'm sure QF could have sold the seats for enough to cover the cost to operate the flight... Anyway, it's not as if all of those QF 767s aren't going to fly again let alone being close to the final 767 pax flight ever...

bennett123 · Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:11 am

IIRC, the retirement of the Iranian B747SP was a false alarm.

sq256 · Tue Dec 30, 2014 4:15 am

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 35):

Two of the latter were in fact leased from AC following the grounding.

I believe there was two on lease from AWAS (BZF - originally intended for CO but was not taken up) and (BZI). Interestingly BZI was originally intended for AN on behalf of AWAS (according to a aussieairliners log) but was not taken up by AN and went to VN instead. As was mentioned by another poster, BZI ended up with QF for a short term lease in a all-white livery.

BZL and BZM were the 763s leased from AC. Unfortunately the AC 763s arrived too late in Australia (only days before collapse). BZL only had a few revenue flights with AN prior to the shut down.

[Edited 2014-12-29 20:18:13]

SpaceshipDC10 · Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:13 am

Quoting sq256 (Reply 38):
BZL and BZM were the 763s leased from AC. Unfortunately the AC 763s arrived too late in Australia (only days before collapse). BZL only had a few revenue flights with AN prior to the shut down.

I've just checked aussieairliners, and it appears that BZM was in fact leased from Canadian Airlines but was returned to Air Canada.

Viscount724 · Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:54 pm

Quoting American 767 (Reply 25):
Quoting kent350787 (Reply 22):
Mind you, I also remember QF as "the 747 airline"

Indeed there was a time they were an all 747 airline from the time they retired their last 707 in the late 70s (not sure exactly when) until 1985 when, as pointed out, they received their first 767.

QF also had 2 DC-4s for the service to Norfolk Island. They were sold in 1977.

csturdiv · Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:57 pm

Wish I would have booked a flight on this last QF B767 flight, would've been fun. I do have a B763 flight coming up with NZ when I fly AKL-SYD, which I am looking forward to. Being from ORD and flying domestically to IAH and RSW a lot, I never get a chance to fly on B767s.

deutronium · Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:41 pm

How long have we got before Air NZ gets rid of theirs?

777Jet · Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:49 pm

Quoting csturdiv (Reply 41):
Wish I would have booked a flight on this last QF B767 flight, would've been fun.

Me too

As soon as it was announced back then I could have got on it for just $149-

Instead, I waited until the price was up to $600- and then just decided to go to work for the day

Quoting csturdiv (Reply 41):
I do have a B763 flight coming up with NZ when I fly AKL-SYD, which I am looking forward to.

That is one of the few 767 possibilities in this region... NZ do operate some interesting metal on the AKL-SYD route between the 767s, 777s and 789... I pray you don't get an A320 on the day - what a let down that would be

Quoting deutronium (Reply 42):
How long have we got before Air NZ gets rid of theirs?

I'm not sure, but I checked for a flight next year and it shows them still operating the 767 on the AKL-SYD run in next October at this stage...

csturdiv · Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:00 am

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 43):
Me too

As soon as it was announced back then I could have got on it for just $149-

Instead, I waited until the price was up to $600- and then just decided to go to work for the day

I didn't even look at booking, my parents came to Sydney for the holidays from the US so I could not book the flight. I am sure they might have not liked me to go out flying for no real reason (in their eyes) after they had flown here to be with me on the holidays.

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 43):

That is one of the few 767 possibilities in this region... NZ do operate some interesting metal on the AKL-SYD route between the 767s, 777s and 789... I pray you don't get an A320 on the day - what a let down that would be

That is why I booked it, as of now it is supposed to be SYD-AKL B789 and AKL-SYD B763.

deutronium · Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:49 am

Quoting deutronium (Reply 42):
Quoting deutronium (Reply 42):How long have we got before Air NZ gets rid of theirs?
I'm not sure, but I checked for a flight next year and it shows them still operating the 767 on the AKL-SYD run in next October at this stage...

Thanks. That gives me time then. I always loved the 767 in the old 1980's Air NZ colours but I've only ever been on Qantas - In and out of SFO in the 90's and multiple domectics.

VapourTrails · Wed Dec 31, 2014 8:09 am

Goodbye VH-OGT QANTAS 767-338ER

http://youtu.be/SOX2TS75HrA

Last QANTAS 767 TAKEOFF Melbourne - 27 December 2014 On board video

http://youtu.be/S9aBj3k8j1k

by YMML SpottingTeam

SpaceshipDC10 · Wed Dec 31, 2014 6:53 pm

A nice picture taken from that final flight. Had the sun shined, the result would be even better, me think.

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Viscount724 · Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:41 pm

I expect YYZ was the furthest QF 763s ever got from Australia, during their very brief service SYD-HNL-YYZ.

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

VapourTrails · Thu Jan 01, 2015 2:54 am

This video is a few months old, and as far as I am aware it hasn't been posted on Airliners.net, but if so, it is still very appropriate to this thread!

60 Minutes TV program - Final flight B767 VH-OGG to Victorville, published 30 September 2014 by Qantas

http://youtu.be/We7qdE4pMtk

-----

This one is worth posting if (too) just for the audio.

VH-OGU Final Qantas 767 landing at Brisbane Airport with ATC and water cannon salute, published 27 December 2014 by Dat Plane Guy.

http://youtu.be/2angNXcsq2k

"Perfect as always" -

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